After 5 months of suffering discomfort and now back problems in my S reg Mondeo Verona, looks like I'll have to sell it.
Two questions:-
1) Are there any companies who could replace the foam in the seat with something softer and more forgiving?
Someone I spoke to said that modern car seats are injection moulded, so I reckon this is unlikely.
2) Can anyone recommend a suitable replacement? Don't care about the make of the car as long as the seats are decent.
I was thinking about Laguna/406.
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Last compnay I worked for had an S-reg Mondeo LX estate as a pool car. It was the most uncomfortable car seat I have ever had to use - got leg-ache and back-ache within 10 minutes. For me, the Laguna has much better seats (but try a Saab or Volvo; their seats tend to be excellent). The only way (as we are all different shapes) is to try all potential cars yourself. You could try having something like a Recaro seat fited to your Mondy, though. Would be much cheaper than changing cars, even if it ended up looking a little strange.
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Agreed about the Volvo range - excellent seats. The Laguna I've been in (new shape one) was also really comfy, could've slept in the seat quite easily.
And the leather seats on my Audi are just like armchairs.
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I too have found the Laguna to have very comfy seats. Make sure you don't get the low profile alloys though, they spoil the ride, in my view.
Other comfy cars I have experienced in no particular order:
Volvo V90 (or something like that, V80? The big estate one!)
Saab 9-5
Rover 75
Passat
And my 2004 Mégane has surprisingly good seats for a mid range car. Lots of adjustment and support. I have driven over 400 miles in a day and have had no back pain at all.
Being nostalgic for a minute, the most incredible seats I have ever experienced were in a Peugeot 604, a long time ago. They were the closest thing to an armchair I have ever seen in a car.
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I would agree about Saab seats. C5 seats are also excellent, with lots of thigh support too; plus, of course, super ride comfort
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I find that part of the conmfort factor is actually getting into and out of the car and that it is easier in some cars than others.
Cars which are a couple of inches higher than average are generally easier to get into and out of; e.g. Suzuki Wagon R and Subary Forester. We have both, are totally different cars and different ride quality but both have easy access and firm seats that are comfortable over a reasonable period. Certainly in the Subaru, I have spent one day and 530 miles in it and came out without a twinge.
I also agree that Volvos have excellent seats, but the new s40/V50 is too small and has too harsh a ride to be really comforatble.
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Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
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Agree about C5 seats. They are firm but very comfortable. Not a great deal of lateral support but the car rolls very little anyway, so it doesn't bother me. Back support is good.
I'm 6' and find the C5 is the roomiest, most comfortable car I've tried. Amazing legroom and wide armchair-like seats. With height adjustment full up you can sit high, making getting out and in a doddle. Remember that C5s are fully higher than most cars in their class too, so headroom is generous.
Graeme
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Passat is very comfortable even with basic seats.
Partly owing to the pedals and steering column being correctly aligned with the seat.
Something to try in your car is reclining the back rest a little to take some weight off your hips. Read the tip somewhere, maybe on this forum.
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I wasna fu but just had plenty.
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Saab 9-3 seating is exemplary. Can't fault it.
This from the man who pays his chiropractor's mortgage each month due to a number of back injuries picked up over the years.
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can vouch for SAAB 9-5 comfort as well.
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Agree re the seats in the laguna, they are very good - specially the half leather seats. Takes a lot of adjustment (and they adjust every way you can think of via 3300 diffrent levers) to get it right tho.
Agree about the low profile tyres they do unsettle the ride, but boy does it go round corners!
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just go up to scrap yard u can usually replace a set of seats fairly cheaply. Managed to replace seats for golf, front and back for about £50
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Im a student ive got time!!!
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Someone posted a link on here to a site that was similar to NCAP safety ratings but had comfort ratings, such as driver/wheel offset, adjustments, support etc... can anyone remember? I only remember teh Daewoo matiz or Chevvy Matiz LOL came last!
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I agree with Volvo comments; without doubt the front and rear seats in my father's S80 and my V70 are the best I have ever used. Though of different design, all are supremely comfortable and supportive. In a league of their own, even above SAAB in my own experience. I'm 5' 10" tall, but a short and lardy friend has made similar comment, as has a 6'8" beanpole.
These seats also have the advantage of having some of the best whiplash protection available; clever impact absorption of the entire back and neck, without the head rolling off the side of the headrest as happens with many competitors.
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Volvos are comfy. The comfiest car seats I would say are Mercedes though - the E class in particular. You can adjust it in a million ways (electically I might add!) and it seems to mould around you.
Of course, I'm never going to own a Merc - but it was comfy all the same.
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Adam
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I don't know whether they still do, but What Car? magazine used to publish a booklet specifically about car seat comfort. It described in detail how to decide whether a car seat was well designed (comfort-wise) or not and the points to consider when choosing a new car.
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L\'escargot by name, but not by nature.
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As someone who also suffers from lower back problems, I find it absolutely essential to have a seat with adequate lumber support, which is sadly lacking (with the exception of Saab/Volvo) in many massed produced vehicles.
In the past when I ran company vehicles, I replaced the standard seat with a Recaro, which you can select to your own requirements. This surely is a better and cheaper option than changing cars.!!! The seat can also be switched to your next new car as well, so that you are assured comfort in the future.
www.recarodirect.co.uk/
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Someone posted a link on here to a site that was similar to NCAP safety ratings but had comfort ratings, such as driver/wheel offset, adjustments, support etc... can anyone remember? I only remember teh Daewoo matiz or Chevvy Matiz LOL came last!
This?
www.car-seat-data.co.uk/xlcardata.htm
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If it's any consolation it took me 12 months of accute discomfort to find a comfortable seating position in my Mondeo Zetec. During this time I managed to put my back out, due to my seating position being hopelessly wrong, and I also broke the seat base and had to have a new one fitted. Fortunately I managed to get this work done under warranty.
I think much of the problem is the fact that there are too many variables to play with. Seat height, rake of back, distance from pedals and all the steering wheel adjustments, too, which take a great deal of setting up.
I've got a comfortable Mondeo now, but it wasn't at all easy, and took a great deal of time. The key to solving the problem is experimentation; if it doesn't feel right don't accept an uncomfortable position but try something else.
That's what I did, and it worked in the end!
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Although the basic ergonomics are excellent to begin with, I am very particular about easily regaining exactly "my" seating position after someone else has used my car. This was one of several factors in me specifying our V70 2.4T with SE trim; doing so gained triple memory seats plus keyfob encoding (otherwise an £850 option). The keyfob encoding means His and Hers automatic adjustment on unlocking the car and opening the driver's door. The wing mirrors adjust too, though sadly not the interior mirror or reach and rake adjustable steering column!
On a more basic level, such easy adjustment was also a factor in me choosing my MG Metro back in 1984; How anyone can tolerate a three door car with tilting seats that do not resume their previously adjusted position is beyond me. The MG did, but I read just the other day of several current model cars with exactly this problem.
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